There are moments when Monica Ellis goes into mom mode as she watches her daughter, Taylor, pitch for the Greenville Christian School softball team.
Monica Ellis, the coach of the Lady Saints, says her daughter wears her heart on her sleeve. When Taylor is hurting, she is too.
But, there are many more moments when Coach Ellis says that Taylor, a sophomore, is just another player on the team. Coach Ellis pushes all her players to be their best, and Taylor is no exception.
“I love having Coach Ellis as our coach, because not only is she a mother to Taylor but she is also like a mother to all of us,” said senior Jordyn Claiborne. “She is a coach who really cares about her players.”
Claiborne along with McKenzie Jones are two seniors on the Greenville Christian School softball team who have had an up close view of how much Coach Ellis has meant to the GCS program.
“Our goal this season is to be the best we can be,” Jones said. “Coach Ellis teaches us to do our best during every inning of every game and that is what we are going to do. We believe that if we do that our wins will come soon.”
Coach Ellis passion for the Saints softball team started when she was a young teenager. Coach Ellis played second base played for the Lady Saints, and then went on to play for Mississippi Delta Community College.
Ever since she was little, Taylor said she has wanted to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Taylor played T-ball and baseball when she was really young, then transitioned to softball a few years ago.
This season Coach Ellis said that Taylor is having her best season yet for the Lady Saints.
“She is a year older, and a year more mature,” Coach Ellis said. “The biggest thing is she is more composed on the mound. She wants to please her teammates so much, but she is learning that in order to be successful you have to be composed.”
Taylor said she plans on to keep practicing hard in order to be the best pitcher she can be.
“I just want us to come together and be the best team we can be,” Taylor said.
